11] 



THE AMERICAN GARDENER. 



39 



with a greater or less degree of care and trouble ; 

 but, the best possible thing is dung from the stable^ 

 taken away before it has been rotted^ short and long 

 promiscuously, but rather long than short. If there 

 be a large proportion of short, it may have any lit- 

 ter added to it ; any broken straw or hay or corn 

 stalks, in order to make a due mixture of long and 

 short, 



68. This choosing of the materials being a very 

 important point, I shall, in order to make my in- 

 structions clear, suppose a case, and such a case as 

 will be very clear to every American Farmer. 



69. By the month of March he has always a heap 

 of dung, which has, from time to time, been thrown 

 out of his stable, during the winter and fall. This 

 is some long and some short. Let the whole of 

 this (supposing there to be three horses kept) be 

 taken ; and, in addition, a pretty good wagon load 

 of long stained stuff from the cow-yard, or sheep- 

 yard. Toss it down in a heap, near where you are 

 going to make the bed. Then begin on one side of 

 it, and take the stuff and begin making a fresh 

 heap of it. Shake every fork full well to pieces, 

 and mix well the long with the short ; and thus go 

 on, till you have the whole in a round heap rising 

 to a point. 



70. The second day after this heap is made it will 

 begin to send forth steam. Let it remain three 

 days in this state ; that is to say, four clear days 

 after the day of making the heap. Then turn the 

 heap back again ; shaking all well to pieces, as be- 

 fore, and bringing to the inside that part of the stuff 

 which was before on the outside of the heap. Let 

 it remain now three clear days after the day of turn- 

 ing. Then turn it again ; shaking well to pieces, 

 as before, and bringing again the outside stuff to 



